Not According to the Plan
by Dark Ride
Summary: Post-Volpina. "I have to say, My Lady, your plans are usually better thought out than this." Or the one where Marinette tries to pull the 'break his heart to save him' on Adrien. Cue the title. Adrinette with some background Ladrien. Now with a second chapter.
1. Not According to the Plan

**A/N:** There are already many reveal fics inspired by Volpina so what's one more, right? I prefer French spelling of some names so don't be surprised by the occasional H's in some places.

* * *

Adrien was having a really good day. He had received a message from Nathalie earlier in the morning that his afternoon photo-shoot had been cancelled due to a delivery mishap, essentially giving him a time off. And before either Chloe or Lila could insinuate into the free spot, a strangely determined Marinette marched up to him and asked if he wanted to play Ultimate Mecha Strike III at her house. Naturally, he agreed and soon after the school let out, he was camped out in front of Marinette's computer, a plate full of various snacks in easy reach and a controller in his hands, ready to take his beating like a man.

Except, he wasn't getting beaten. Marinette's playing was nowhere near her usual standards, leaving openings in her defense left and right, missing attacks, not managing to pull any combos... Clearly, her head wasn't in the game. After spending several minutes thinking over whether or not they were actually friendly enough for him to ask, Adrien finally paused the game and turned to Marinette.

"Is there something bothering you?"

She jumped and looked away quickly but not before he caught the strange expression on her face. She looked both sad and determined but before he could think on it further, she nodded to herself once and looked at him.

"You like Ladybug, don't you?" The question caught him off-guard but she plunged on without waiting for an answer. "It's understandable, she's pretty amazing and all but..." She took a deep breath and then her words rushed out all at once. "Ithinkyoushouldtrytostoplikingherbecauseit'sprettydangerousandyoucouldbeusedagainstherandshewouldn'twantyouhurtsoit'sbetterforeveryoneifyoujuststop."

Adrien blinked as he tried to parse some meaning from what he had heard.

"I'm sorry, Marinette, but I didn't really catch any of that."

She looked down again, twirling her fingers nervously.

"You should try to stop liking Ladybug so much. It's dangerous for you both."

Several things went through Adrien's mind at that. Confusion (why would Marinette of all people be telling him this), suspicion (did she know Ladybug personally, the Evillustrator incident had made it seem likely but how close the two girls could be), embarrassment (was he really so obvious about his feelings) and even, to his shame, resentment (who was Marinette to advise him on the matter of his feelings).

"Marinette, I-" he paused as he realized he had no idea what to say.

"I'm not saying it to be mean," she said quietly. "And if things were different, I wouldn't be doing this but you were put into danger twice already, with the Jackady and with Volpina, not to mention all the times you were caught in the crossfire because of the other Akumas and, it's just too dangerous to get close to her. You could get hurt so easily."

"I'm tougher than I look," Adrien replied, vaguely registering that this was the longest non-stuttered conversation he had with Marinette.

"No, you aren't. The enemies she fights, they're out of normal people's league. If they knew that you were her weakness, you would be targeted. As a matter of fact, Volpina did go after you because of Ladybug. It could easily happen again and it would hurt you both."

"You seem to know a lot about Ladybug," he said, pointedly ignoring the whole 'being her weakness' tidbit for now, else he would freak out. Ladybug liked his non-masked self. That was totally unexpected and made him feel incredibly happy if also confused. Why would she like Adrien but not Chat? Meanwhile, Marinette shrugged at his question and looked away from him again.

"We are rather close," she said but didn't elaborate. He wondered why Ladybug put her up to this. He wanted to ask so many questions but there was something in the slump of Marinette's shoulders that prevented him. Unlike him, she wasn't happy about the topic. The way she acted and spoke, it was obvious it was hard on her. He understood being a middleman for a superhero couldn't be easy but she soldiered on regardless. Ladybug couldn't have picked a better confidante, he thought.

"You know, I'm glad you told me," he spoke into the awkward silence that fell between them. "But I'm afraid I can't follow your advice. I like Ladybug a lot and that kind of feeling can't be just turned off."

"But you don't even know who she really is," Marinette said sharply. "You don't know who she is under the mask, if she's really worth all the trouble you're willing to go to. She's just an ordinary girl, with nothing special going for her. She's clumsy and scatterbrained and not brave at all without her mask and I'm sure if you knew her real identity, you would lose all interest."

"Oh really?" he bit out, getting angry for the first time in the conversation. This was so unlike Marinette. Marinette was kind and nice to almost everyone unless they were being mean to others first and she had admitted to being close to Ladybug so what was she doing, talking about his Lady like that?

"Really."

"You're wrong. I'm sure Ladybug is amazing with or without her mask."

"No, you're wrong. Ladybug IS the mask and without it, the girl underneath is nothing."

They were both standing by that point and coming dangerously close to shouting. It was a good thing her parents were busy with the afternoon rush of customers. Adrien felt something ugly twisting inside of him. He liked Marinette, she was one of his first friends, even if it took her a while to warm up to him, but he wouldn't stand for her badmouthing Ladybug like that.

"Do you really know her?" he snarled. "Because if you did you wouldn't be saying such awful-"

"I am her," she shouted, cutting him off and there was a sudden silence. "I am her," she repeated more quietly. "I have been her since I opened that box and met Tikki. I have been her every time there was an Akuma. I have been her when Jackady went after your Dad and I have been her when Volpina dangled an illusion of you from the Eiffel Tower. I have been her every day in the class when I was desperately trying to work out courage to talk to you and I have been her when I realized that you liking Ladybug was just going to put you in danger and that I couldn't be selfish and let you do that. You must stop liking her!"

Adrien had no idea what to say. Whenever he had imagined his Lady revealing her identity to him, it had been far more pleasant, not a shouting match about the worth of her non-masked self.

"Marinette..."

She bit her lip and looked at the floor. There was a movement in his peripheral vision and something small and red flew towards Marinette, nuzzling into her face in a gesture of comfort. Her kwami, Adrien realized and any lingering doubts dispersed. He could feel Plagg stirring in his pocket and hoped his own kwami would stay out of sight for now. This situation required tact and the only way that word could be used in connection with Plagg was if there was -less attached.

"Do you see now?" Marinette spoke up as she gestured at herself. "The Ladybug you think you like is just the plain, old me, not anyone special. Isn't it easier now, to let go of your feelings for me?"

"Why don't you want me to like you?" he blurted out. She had been persistent on that point.

"Because it's dangerous, weren't you listening?"

Adrien gave into the impulse to clutch at his hair.

"So what? I'm not afraid."

"Aaargh, why are you so stubborn?" she cried out, stomping her feet. "I'm trying to protect you. I'm giving you every reason to dislike me so why don't you?"

"Why would I dislike you?"

"Because I lied to you about who I am."

"You were protecting your secret identity."

She huffed and pouted and Adrien couldn't help but think how adorable the pout made her look. Marinette was Ladybug. Ladybug was Marinette. She had been right there from the beginning. And she liked him enough to try and make him dislike her, for his own protection. Just how perfect could one person get?

"You're not playing fair," she mumbled finally. "You were supposed to be disappointed by who I am and-"

"That was your plan?" he cut her off. She nodded, reluctantly and he snorted. "I have to say, My Lady, your plans are usually better thought out than this."

"What?"

"You were trying to show me Ladybug's not perfect by revealing she's one of the kindest, sweetest, bravest, prettiest, most talented, extraordinary girls I know? Someone who's definitely worth every bit of trouble I could get into for her? Yeah, that plan definitely didn't work."

Marinette had gotten more red with every complimentary characteristic he mentioned. Then and there, Adrien decided he would tell her just how special he considered her every day, just to see that expression on her face again. She was so worth everything and he would make it his priority to make sure she knew that.

"Even so, it doesn't change the fact you'd be in danger," she said quietly and Adrien grinned, feeling as confident as he usually only did wearing his mask.

"Let me ask you something real quick. That box you mentioned, was it about this big, hexagonal, with a red emblem on top and red lining?" She nodded but before she could ask, he quickly continued. "Mine came with a ring and a cheese-obsessed kwami named Plagg."

He more saw then heard her quiet "Oh." and he pulled out Plagg from his pocket. The kwami yawned and stretched.

"I was in the middle of a nice nap before your heart started beating really fast," the tiny creature complained and looked over at Marinette. "Figures there would be a girl involved." He looked her up and down, zeroing in on the other kwami. "Oh joy," he deadpanned. "It's Ladybug. Just what I needed, your obsession will be ten times worse now that you know who she is in real life."

"Obsession?"

Adrien flushed slightly but met her eyes steadily.

"You called me here because you figured out I liked you. It's not exactly a secret but it's not an obsession. Plagg is just being Plagg."

"I..." Marinette trailed off and Adrien sighed.

"I really like you, though. Both of you. I met Ladybug first but I think Marinette is pretty awesome, too. I guess I'm trying to say this could be a good thing, couldn't it?"

She was glancing around the room, avoiding his eyes. He bent forward a little, trying to catch her gaze when she raised her head and almost hit his chin. They backed away from each other abruptly.

"Sorry," she muttered. Adrien grinned.

"I told you, I'm tougher than I look."

"Yeah, I suppose you are."

Her kwami had stayed quiet on Marinette's shoulder until then but now she floated closer to Adrien.

"I was against her doing this but now I'm glad she did," she stated simply. "You two are a good match."

Adrien smiled at that. It meant a lot, coming from someone who was such an important part of Marinette's life. He looked at Marinette and impulsively held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir and I like you. Will you go out with me?"

He held his breath for a moment and then she smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

It was official. This was his best day ever.


	2. Something In the Water

**A/N:** Because a couple of people asked for more and I'm weak :D Take your fluff.

* * *

Alya was an excellent best friend, if she could say so herself. She would always have Marinettte's back, whether it was running for the class president or being an emotional support after an encounter with Adrien. So when she had seen Marinette talk to the boy in question and the two of them leaving together afterwards, she had expected to be texted in a few hours with all the details.

Except it was close to eight and her Marinette-assigned ringtone hadn't sounded since the late afternoon. She thought Marinette would want to talk about what had gone on, whether it had been an awkward silence or an embarrassingly stuttered conversation. But there was nothing.

Finally, her curiousity got better of Alya and she tapped out a quick message to her best friend.

 _Alya: So how did your date with Adrien go? ;)_

A few minutes passed and the longed for sound of a text message finally came.

 _Marinette: He asked me out._

Alya blinked, then closed her eyes for five seconds and opened them again. The message didn't change and Alya almost smashed the call button as she dialed her best friend.

"Yes, Alya?"

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL, GIRL?"

Okay, the shouting was probably too much but Alya couldn't find it in herself to care.

"Ow, you don't have to shout," Marinette said and Alya wondered at how even her voice sounded.

"How come you didn't let me know as soon as it happened?"

"I'm still processing it myself," Marinette admitted and Alya realized her best friend was probably just as, if not more, shocked as Alya herself. Because yes, Alya rooted for that particular romance to happen but at the speed Marinette was moving, Alya expected another year to pass before anything happened. And she definitely didn't expect Adrien to make the first move. Alya liked the boy but he could be rather dense in social situations. Not his fault but still, this was out of the blue.

"I'm afraid to pinch myself to find out if this is only a dream," Marinette continued and Alya sighed.

"As far as I know, this is a reality."

There was a pause and then, in a tone of wonder...

"Alya, Adrien said he liked me and then he asked me out."

"Well, you're very likable," Alya said with a laugh before a thought came to her. "You told him yes, didn't you?"

Because as much as Alya liked Marinette, failing to reply to a date invitation from a boy of her dreams was unfortunately something Alya could easily see her friend do.

"Actually..." Marinette trailed off and Alya groaned, getting ready to track down Adrien and clear up the misunderstanding - because that was what best friends did, when Marinette giggled. "I said okay! And he smiled and then I smiled and oh my god, Alya, we kept smiling at each other."

"I can imagine," Alya said dryly. Well, it seemed the situation was finally dawning on her friend. "I'm so happy for you."

"Yeah, he's everything I could have ever wanted and more."

Marinette sounded even more dreamy than usual but Alya didn't begrudge her that. The girl was getting her dream fulfilled, after all. She deserved to enjoy it for as long as it lasted. They chatted for a bit longer and after extracting a promise of sharing more of the details the following day, they finally said goodbye and hung up.

* * *

Alya was earlier at the school than usual. Marinette mentioned that Adrien was going to walk her to the school in the morning - and wow, wasn't that cute?, and Alya wanted to see for herself just how the two would interact after their change in status.

Nino joined her in her vigil after a few minutes and they kept watching in the direction of the bakery.

"Pretty surprising news, huh?" Nino said. "I almost fell off my chair when Adrien told me."

Alya snorted at that before admitting:

"I thought I was hallucinating when I got Marinette's text."

"Just wow."

"And they managed on their own, too," Alya said before fake sniffling. "I'm so proud of them."

"We raised them well," Nino agreed and they grinned at each other just before the subjects of their conversation made an appearance.

Marinette and Adrien were walking side-by-side and holding hands. Occasionally, one of them would say something and the other would reply and then they would bashfully look away for a moment before their eyes would find each other again. They appeared to be in their own little world and it was the cutest thing Alya had ever seen, and yes, that included the baby otters' video.

They came to a stop before their friends and smiled a bit sheepishly at the expectant looks on their faces.

"Hi," Marinette said.

"Don't hi me, girlfriend. I want to know how exactly this happened. You promised details last night."

"Yeah, dude," Nino told Adrien. "I'm with Alya on this, spill!"

"It's nothing exciting," Adrien said. "Marinette invited me to play video games with her, we talked for a bit, I asked her out and here we are."

It would take someone far more gullible than Nino and Alya to think it had been that simple. The secret look that Marinette and Adrien shared was a clear indication there was far more to that story but for now, they would let the new couple be. After all, it would be more effective to interrogate them one-on-one later on.

* * *

Having been early for once meant that the four of them were in their seats before the rest of the class came in. Some people stared for a bit at the way Marinette and Adrien huddled close over Marinette's desk, with Adrien having turned and knelt on his seat but no one made any comment. Alya and Nino watched them indulgently, trying, although not very hard, not to eavesdrop on their conversation. It mostly consisted of them comparing their favourite bands, shows and movies, grinning every time they found to have something in common.

Mme. Bustier's entrance forced Adrien to turn back and sit properly but not before he sneaked a quick hand kiss. Alya's eyebrows went high at that, because, damn, Adrien was smoother than she had given him credit for.

The lesson went by mind-numbingly slow. French lit could be fun at times but who needed to learn about romantic poets when there was a love story in progress right in their class? Alya jotted down a couple of notes here and there to give an appearance of paying attention but other than that, she was focused mostly on her friends.

Marinette was doodling sketches in between sneaking glances at Adrien and as for Adrien, he was busy writing something. With how often he scratched things out, Alya didn't think it had anything to do with their lessons.

Finally the bell rang and Alya got ready to start her interrogation of Marinette when someone else decided to make their presence known.

"~Adrikins!~" Chloé sang out as she stood up from her seat and leaned over his desk. "What are you writing?"

Adrien tensed and Alya didn't have to think long about pulling out her phone and starting recording. It was mean, yes, but as far as Alya was concerned, Chloé deserved to have some humble pie served. The way Adrien looked at Chloé when she snatched the paper from him didn't bode well for that girl.

"Oh, it's a poem. You shouldn't... have..." she trailed off as she quickly read over the lines and her face got darker the more she read. "What's the meaning of this?" she screeched and Adrien took the paper back from her slack grip.

"It's a poem I wrote. For Marinette. It's not as good as she deserves, I know," he said self-deprecatingly and cleared his throat. Alya nearly squealed and Marinette looked on the verge of fainting. Because what followed...

"M is for how marvelously kind you are to everyone.

A is for how amazingly brave you are every day.

R is for revolutionary because you changed my life for the better.

I is for how incredibly beautiful you are, inside and out.

N is for how nervous I am that I'm not worthy of you.

E is for extraordinary because that word describes you best.

T is for talented, which you definitely are.

T is also for how terrific it is you like me back and

E stands for everything, because that's what you are to me."

There was a long beat of silence before-

"Holy shit!" Kim.

"Dude!" Nino.

"Wow!" Juleka.

"How sweet!" Rose.

Adrien and Marinette were happily ignoring it all as they were once again in their little world. Alya could just make out their whispered conversation.

"Why?" Marinette asked.

"Because I made a promise to myself I'll tell you everyday just how special you are," he replied and tugged at her hair playfully. "You better get used to this treatment, Princess."

"Well," Chloé said haughtily. "You win for now, Marinette. I have better things to do than watch Adrien make a huge mistake. He'll come to his senses soon enough. Come Sabrina."

She left the classroom, passing by the next teacher who just sighed, knowing better than to try and stop her. That would be just asking for trouble.

"Take your seats, please."

Alya flashed Marinette's thumbs-up and pretended not to see the way she smoothed out the paper with the poem before carefully tucking it into her sketchbook.

* * *

Of course Chloé would cause another akuma, Alya thought as she recorded the battle currently taking place along the entirety of Rue de Rivoli-Le Marais. Haredresser was fortunately more concerned with telling everyone that bunnies were the cutest, especially when being used as motifs in hair ornaments, than with causing a lot of destruction. Once Chat Noir managed to snag the hair-tie with a pink bunny on it and tossed it to Ladybug, things were wrapped up quickly.

Alya kept filming the heroes through their customary fist bump and a short conversation that followed. She wasn't close enough to hear it but it seemed that whatever Chat Noir was telling Ladybug, it was making her laugh a lot. And then came the moment when he took her hand and raised it to his lips and Alya expected things to unfold as they always had.

Ladybug would gently push him away or bop him on the nose and they would go their separate ways, with Chat Noir glancing after her longingly. Except this time, Ladybug was in no hurry to take her hand back. As a matter of fact, she not only allowed Chat to kiss her hand but when he turned it over and pressed another kiss to her wrist, she giggled.

Alya felt her jaw dropping. No way! When had the two gotten together? First Marinette and Adrien and now Ladybug and Chat Noir. The two relationships she wanted to see happen did so within a day of each other. Was there something in the water?

Well, this was a major scoop for the Ladyblog and Alya finally stopped recording when Ladybug and Chat Noir took off together, for once heading out next to each other. There was a lot of editing to be done.


End file.
